Violence Against Women and Girls

The issue of women’s subordinate legal, social and political position in Afghan society and the failure of the government to meet its obligations to ensure gender equality and address discriminatory social attitudes forms the basis of this report. Cultural, religious and social norms are at the root of the various kinds of abuse experienced by women human rights defenders.

Girls are especially vulnerable to rape, exploitation, coercion and discrimination perpetrated by students and teachers. ‘A girl’s right to learn without fear’ looks at the issues and presents solutions which are drawn from existing policy examples, as well as global civil society campaigns, international instruments and the voices of girls themselves. This reports surveys regions as diverse as Sub-Saharan African, Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia as well as North America.